Diablo

It almost killed me to see that fucking cop grab Savy and then punch her in the face. He’s a dead man. I already have The Devils on it. They owe me some markers and I’m calling one in. Officer Jones is a dead man. I know the Compound is being watched, but I don’t care. Cops harass us all the time. They are always looking for a reason to bring one of us in, trying to get information or just fucking with us in general. What they don’t know is, Havoc never talks to cops. Ever.

This is something I didn’t stress with Savy and Ena, but I’m proud of the way they handled themselves during the raid. Ena said what she needed to say and then kept her mouth shut. I’m damn proud of her. Savy, fought back. I’m fucking proud of her too. She’s grown into an even stronger woman than when I met her. I made a mental note to teach her and Ena how to get out of cuffs and zip ties. They both need some work on the self-defense front, but they handled themselves like true women of Havoc.

“Are you all right, little bird?” I ask.

Savy has said little since getting out of the shower. We are staying at the Compound for a few days since I know the cops will watch our every move and I don’t want them knowing where my house is.

“Hm,” she says. “My face hurts. Can you get me more ice?”

“I’ll be right back.” I slide out of the bed and pull on a shirt. Closing the door behind me, I walk down the hall, decorated with pictures of Havoc’s history, past and present. I always smile when I see the picture of Chino and I. I was a little young asshole when I met him, and he helped me become the man I am today.

I enter the main room, and I walk to the far side toward the kitchen. Axel is sitting on the couch, laptop on his lap, with his brows furrowed.

“What’s up, Axel?”

“I got a ping on Hazel’s phone. It says she’s in the woods outside the club.”

“Take Gunner with you. Let me know what you find.”

“Right, Prez,” he says while standing and walking down the hall to Gunner’s room.

I get Savy’s ice from the kitchen, and on my walk back to the room, Gunner and Axel are dressed in all black and heading out the back door, guns in hand. Hazel has been missing for a week and her phone has been off the entire time. It’s a little strange that she shows back up right after the police raid. She’s a sweet girl who took refuge in the Havoc Compound after a rough childhood. We took her in, and she’s been in good standing ever since. When she got hooked up with Kris, she was still sweet, but easily manipulated by Kris. She was too innocent for this life, but she made the choice to live it. She also made the choice to go along with Kris, who still hasn’t turned up, but she’s out of the club after what that pussy Tyler told me. That bitch is as good as dead and as soon as someone from Havoc catches up with her, she will be.

I take the ice back to Savy, who is staring at the wall, not speaking. The gray pillowcase is dark and wet, she’s been crying. I pull off my pants and shirt and slide into the bed with her, placing the ice on her cheek. It has already turned a dark purple. She will have a bruise for a while.

“I’m proud of you, little bird.”

“Thank you,” she says. Her voice is flat, but I press a little harder. I can’t have her pulling away from me right now.

“Savy, what is it? You can ask me.”

“Does the club deal drugs?” she asks quickly. It’s almost as if she asked before I changed my mind.

“No,” I say. “We don’t deal drugs.”

“Do you sell guns?”

“If I tell you anything, understand that you know too much. Just know it’s a means to an end,” I say. My words are cryptic, I know, but if I tell Savy too much about our gun running, she can take the whole club down or worse, she may get wrapped up in some shit with the Russians that she has nothing to do with.

“Are Ena and I safe here?” she asks, biting her lower lip.

“Yes, anytime you are on Havoc soil, you are safe.” My eyes roam over her face, her beautiful, bruised face. “I can’t promise that my enemies won’t try to use you to get after me. You are my only weakness. Now that we’re official, you are the only target they have to get back at me.”

She nods her head. “I figured that much, Caleb. I’m not afraid of that.”

“So what are you afraid of?” I ask.

“Paul getting his hands on Ena,” she whispers. “I know she’s protected inside these walls, but tonight, the outside came in, and we couldn’t do anything about it.”

“You listen to me. I love that kid like she’s my own,” I admit. I do. Ena is like the little sister I never had. It’s fucked twisted because she’s interested in Nate, but it’s true. I love her too.

“Caleb,” she says. Placing her small hand on my face, she leans in and gingerly kisses my lips. Her plump lips are soft and a small moan slips out of mouth. “Please, make it better. Take the feeling of his hands off me.”

At her request, I lay Savy back on the mattress, and love her body properly, erasing the offending touches of a corrupt cop.

* * *

Diablo

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Loud knocking wakes me, and I reach out to grab my gun from the night table next to my bed.

“Prez!” Axel yells from the other side of the door.

“Who is it?” Savy asks still half asleep.

“It’s Axel, go back to sleep, little bird,” I say. Laying a kiss on her forehead before I slip from bed to throw on clothes and leave the room. The door clicks closed behind me, and I look at Axel’s face, he’s in distress.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Hazel. She’s lookin’ real bad, Prez,” he says. Worry is etched on his face. Running a hand through his blond hair, he looks like a man in suffering. I’ve known for a while that Axel has a thing for Hazel, but he never claimed her so he’s had so sit back while the woman he wants fucks other men. It can’t be easy, but he did it for his own reasons.

“Where is she?”

“Aero has her on the table,” he says.

We walk toward the small clinic we have downstairs near the dungeon. The familiar scent of a hospital hits my nose and we enter the small exam room. Aero was a flight medic in the military. He keeps the clinic stocked with the necessary equipment and is capable of preforming minor surgery at the Compound.

“How bad is she?” I ask.

Aero looks up from his patient with a grim look on his face.

“It’s not looking good, Prez,” he says. “She’s been starved, beaten, and from the looks of it raped. She won’t let me examine her though so I don’t know for sure.”

I walk over to the table where a scared, wide-eyed Hazel is laying. She turns her head slightly, but her movements are shaky. She’s coming down from whatever drug was given to her. The signs of drug use are clear. Hazel is jittery and her eyes are hollow, like she hasn’t slept in days.

“It’s okay, Hazel,” I say. “We need to see how bad it is.” Soft is not my style. I try, but my words still come out gruff. Her eyes dart back and forth between Axel, Aero, and I. I’m afraid she may try to run and hurt herself more.

Axel is moving anxiously in the corner.

“Axel, give us a minute.”

“No,” Hazel says with a squeak. “Please Diablo, let him stay. Please.”

Noted. Hazel likes Axel, too.

“Fine, but you have some explaining to do, girl. Were you raped?” I ask. We don’t have time to bullshit. I need to know where the fuck she was for a week. Paul is getting riskier by the day.

“Yes,” she whispers. Embarrassment shines in her eyes as tears form.

“Who raped you, Hazel?”

“P-Paul.” Silent tears slide down her cheeks.

As the name leaves her lips, Axel lets out a series of curses.

“Shh, it will be all right, girl,” I say. I’m unsure of what else should be said. She survived it. So she will eventually be all right. At least I hope so. This is uncharted territory for Havoc. I’ve never had to deal with a psychopath who rapes club property.

“Tell me what happened,” I say.

“She asked me to help her get rid of Savy the night of the fight, but I told her no. Kris called last week and asked me to help her pack her things. She said she was going to leave Havoc for good since you made Savy your ol’ lady. She said she couldn’t be around and watch you be in love with someone that wasn’t her.” She pauses to catch her breath. Her ribs must be broken because her breathing is labored. Taking a shallow breath, she continues, “I went to her house and there were two men there, Tyler and Paul. I didn’t know who they were, but I wanted to help Kris. When I asked Kris where the boxes were, she told me she wasn’t leaving and that Tyler and Paul were going to help her get back at Savy.”

She cries as the words spill from her mouth, “I told them I wouldn’t help with that because Havoc has been good to me, but Kris said I didn’t have a choice. She threatened to reveal the real reason I left Minnesota to the club. I told her I didn’t care, but Paul grabbed me and told me I wasn’t going anywhere. He hit me several times, and he must have knocked me out because the next thing I know I am tied to a bed down in a basement.”

Turning to Aero, she asks, “Can I sit up? My back is hurting laying down like this.”

“Of course,” he replies. Raising the hospital bed into a sitting position. “Better?”

“Yes, much better, thank you.”

Hazel continues her story, and Axel moves closer, taking a position next to her and grabbing her hand. He strokes the back of her hand, providing reassurance and comfort.

“He kept me tied up in that bed for days. He would come in at all hours and punch, choke and slap me. I wanted to die down in that basement, but I needed to get back to Havoc. This is the only place I feel safe.”

“You are safe, Hazel,” Axel says. “How did you get free?”

“He untied me so I could use the bathroom when Kris came down the stairs. She told me how stupid I was and how I deserved everything that Paul was doing to me. I don’t know if she knew Paul was listening, but she told me she can never come back to Havoc because you all would kill her before she made it through the gates. Paul was pissed. He came in and started yelling at her. He choked her right there in front of me. He was yelling about how fucking stupid she was and how she ruined everything.”

A small smile on her lips as she continues, “He didn’t remember to lock me back to the bed when he dragged Kris’ body up the stairs. I stayed in the bathroom and prayed that he wouldn’t come back before I got my chance to escape. He didn’t. Once I heard the car start and him pull out, I bolted toward the door as quickly as I could. Thankfully he left that unlocked too. I grabbed the clothes he discarded on the floor and ran. That was yesterday. I’ve been hiding in the woods since then.” Her last word a whisper.

“How did you get your phone?”

“It was still in my pants pocket.”

“Why were you hiding in the woods?”

“Because I didn’t want you to kill me,” she says. “Please don’t kill me, Diablo! I didn’t do anything. I tried to leave, but he kept hitting me. I was too weak.” Her sobs are loud and a small tap of the clinic door has everyone turning toward it.

“Caleb,” Savy says.

“I’ll be out in a minute, Savy,” I say. But it’s too late; she is already pushing the heavy door open and walking in, a look of utter horror on her face.

“What happened to Hazel?” she asks.

“I’m sorry, Savy,” Hazel cries. “I tried.” Her unintelligible words muffled by the arm she has thrown out to covered her face.

“What the fuck is going on?” Savy is pissed and concerned.

I tell her what happened to Hazel. There is no sense in hiding it from her. She will find out eventually.

“Oh god. Hazel, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” Savy says.

What the fuck?

“It ain’t your fault, little bird.”

“Isn’t it? I brought Paul here. I brought a monster to Havoc and now Hazel has been hurt too.” She cries and moves next to Hazel’s bed. Making sure she is gentle, she grabs Hazel’s other hand, as Axel still has the first.

“Aero, clean Hazel up, then Axel can take her to his room to rest.”

“Got it, Prez.”

I take Savy’s hand and we go back through the Compound to our room. She’s crying uncontrollably now and I don’t try to stop it. I just wrap her in my arms and let her cry it all out. Once she calms down, she takes a shower. After getting dressed, she asks to go for a walk outside.

“I want to go sit in the grass. Please, honey?” Looking at the clock, it’s almost six in the morning, so I allow her to walk the grounds alone. She’s safe as long as she’s on Havoc property.

“Take your gun,” I say.

A peculiar look crosses her freckled face. “Babe, I don’t need a gun. I’ll be all right.”

“At least take your knife. Give me some peace of mind, little bird,” I say.

“All right honey,” she says. Slipping the knife in her boot. She looks like a real badass biker chick. She was made for me, and this life, and I want to protect her at all costs. “I’ll be back in a bit. I just need to clear my head.”

She rises on her tiptoes and plants a chaste kiss on my lips. I send Tiny to watch Savy in the field. I don’t care what she thinks, there’s no way I’m letting her outside unprotected, even on Havoc soil.

* * *

Savy

Walking around the open field surrounding the Havoc Compound, I’m thinking about all the things that led me to Havoc. The death of my mother, the beatings by my father, the molestation by Jon, and ultimately the kidnapping by me. I never thought I would find a man I love with all of my heart. Hell, I never thought I could tolerate being around a man for longer than five minutes, let alone wanting to be around one at all times.

I love him with all of my heart.

It’s crazy really. A beaten, battered girl has grown into a beautiful, confident woman. I sit down in the middle of the field, on the backside of the brick building that houses the Havoc Compound. The sun has been up for only about twenty minutes and the dew on the grass is getting my pants wet, but I don’t care. I love it out here, just nature and me.

I’ve always loved being outside, but was too afraid to enjoy it for fear of Paul finding me out in the open. As my thoughts drift back to my mother, I hear footsteps approaching. They are of heavy boots.

Caleb.

I turn with a huge smile stretching across my face, but it’s not the sight I thought I would see.

Paul.

My heart stops. He has a rifle pointed at my head.

“Get the fuck up, bitch.”

I stand. Making sure my movements are slow. I don’t want to die in this field.

“What do you want, Paul?” I ask. “It’s over, Ena is an adult now. You can’t have her.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Spit lands on my face as he screams his command. “You’re coming with me.”

“I’m not.” The calm in my voice scares me. Here I am staring down the barrel of a gun and I’m not afraid.

Not anymore.

“You are.” He hits me in the head with the muzzle of the gun. Dropping to the earth, I reach up and grab my temple as blood covers my fingers. “Now get the fuck up before I kill you right here.”

I stand again, continuing to hold my head. He grabs me by both arms and locks a zip tie to my wrists, behind my back.

Fuck! I’ve been practicing and failing my escape from zip ties. What am I going to do now?

“Move,” he says. Shoving the gun into my back as he walks me toward the trees. Once we are inside the tree line, he hits me again in the back of the head, knocking me out.

* * *

Savy

I wake up to arms stinging like a thousand needles have been pushed into my flesh. I’m swinging from my wrists above my head, tied to the ceiling. My shoulders are stretched almost to the point of dislocation and I’m barely standing on the balls of my feet. Instead of lifting my head and opening my eyes, I keep my head bowed, breathing shallow, and try to assess my surroundings. I hear water dripping and it’s freezing in here. I can’t tell if Paul is in the room with me, so I open my eyes to slits. It’s dark in the room, but there is a sliver of light coming from underneath the door. I try not to move too much, I don’t want to pull my arm out of the socket, if it’s unnecessary.

“Oh good,” Paul says as he opens the door and enters. “You’re awake.” He is carrying a bucket, but I’m unable to see what’s inside it. I don’t respond to his words. I remember as a child, Paul liked when I cried. I won’t cry today. I’d rather die than give him the chance to get satisfaction out of my torture.

“Are you ready?” he asks with a sick smile stretches across his face. “It seems we have a lot of time to make up.” He throws a pail full of freezing water on me. I shiver immediately, but I remain silent.

“Oh, are you not talking, you little bitch?” His face is red, his anger simmering beneath the surface of his eyes. “You don’t need to talk, all you need to do is scream.”

He pulls out a long crude knife. It looks like something you would see in a post-apocalyptic movie, or something a psychopath would use on his victims. I guess a psychopath is using it. It looks sharp. Paul presses the cold metal against my thigh and barely presses down as he drags it down my leg. It’s definitely sharp. The pain is bearable. It feels like a mild paper cut, but he brings the knife back to the top of the red line he created and he cuts inside the same line again. This time it burns like hell, but I remain silent. I barely move, pissing Paul off more.

He creates several more lines down my thighs, trying to elicit a sound, but remaining unsuccessful. Moving back, he pulls out a sharp dagger. It looks like an icepick, but with a thicker blade. And instead of teasing, he plunges it into my other thigh.

The bastard laughs as he leaves the dagger where it has been thrust into my flesh and he quickly thrusts another in my other leg. Tears are running down my face as I endure the pain of the torture that Paul is inflicting, but I don’t cry out. If he is going to kill me, it will be on my terms.

He is ranting about me killing my mother, as he continues to mutilate my legs, arms and torso. I’m losing blood fast. Just as I feel myself slipping into a black abyss, Paul places a tourniquet around my thighs to stop the bleeding from the deep wounds, keeping me alive, for now.

He’s going to keep my alive until he gets what he wants. What Paul doesn’t realize is, Caleb will never let Ena go without protection. If I never return, I know that Ena will always be protected and Paul will die for what he has done. Caleb will hunt Paul down and kill him to avenge my death. At the thought, I smile and Paul smashes his fist into my face, knocking me out again.